I was raised a crank and spanker by the Dressage & Western Pleasure world, but after being disabled for 6 months from a fatal car accident I had to change my style of training to accommodate my chronic pain and fatigue. I began with a slower gentle approach adding the discovery of how to invoke a horse’s natural instinct to recognize ME as their HERD LEADER, and what happened next blew my mind!

As I began developing methods that were easy on my body I noticed the horses I was working with accelerated in their learning while our communication and the horse’s understanding grew exponentially. No fear, no exhaustion, no chasing, no food, just using herd language which mimics a compassionate herd leader that easily invokes a horse’s natural instinct to recognize ME as their HERD LEADER. The change in the horses was palpable as they became excited to be with me, watching one another during training, anxious for their turn – the results were astonishing!!

While revamping my training methods I discovered that 98% of the horses that came to me for training were actually IN PAIN! That pain was causing DANGEROUS behavior so it was imperative that I get to the SOURCE of the PAIN. My motto is “Problems are NOT Always Training Issues”, which means problem and dangerous behavior typically has a SOURCE IN PAIN whether physical or emotional. And MOST of the time Emotional Pain is a BIG component for a horse that has Physical Pain because they probably have been ABUSED due to their behavior. Many horses are recipients of incredible violence due to their dangerous behavior that simply could have been AVOIDED if someone had asked the question “WHY” at the first nip, kick or buck.

So why do we use violence, force, pain and devices to control a horse anyway? The answer is FEAR – fear is the driving force of our dominant culture. Fear is a natural instinct that I respect, but I DO NOT respect the use of violence to teach and that’s exactly what is going on in horsemanship from the earliest ages of our children in 4-H to Olympic level trainers and riders – this is a sad yet telling view of the horse industry.

There is good news however; people are rejecting the old paradigm of applied dominance and violence, embracing a gentler approach to understanding their horse’s behavior before arbitrarily applying discipline. My revamped horse training methods take into account the source of behavior problems while invoking the horse’s natural instinct to recognize ME as their herd leader, along with 3 Foundations EVERY Horse MUST learn to be SAFER around people, 5 Fundamentals that Translate Under Saddle for a SAFER RIDE and Iron Free Riding which means no bits, no spurs. I call it Training the Whole Horse®.

I was raised a crank and spanker from the dressage world, but discovering my slow gentle approach and NO BITS, turned troubled horses into willing companions quickly and easily. Add the language of a herd leader through my discovery of how to invoke a horse’s natural instinct to recognize me as their herd leader and voila I had problem and dangerous horses turning to me with a lowered head saying “awe you are the herd leader, what would you like me to do?” No fear, no exhaustion, no chasing, no food, just using my Wholistic Joining which mimics a compassionate herd leader that easily invokes a horse’s natural instinct to recognize ME as their herd leader.

Once your horse recognizes you are their herd leader, you now have the mind and heart of that horse! Training becomes fun with play without YOU being exhausted, frustrated, angry or in pain.

Training the Whole Horse® also takes into account the physical and emotional wellbeing of the horse. Since I’m a living expert on chronic pain I found 98% of the horses that came to me for training were IN PAIN! That pain was causing dangerous behavior so it was imperative to get to the SOURCE of the PAIN which is part of working with the WHOLE Horse. My motto is “Problems are NOT Always Training Issues”, which means problem and dangerous behavior typically has a source in pain whether physical or emotional. And MOST of the time emotional pain is a big component for a horse that has physical pain because they probably have been abused due to their behavior.

Many horses are recipients of incredible violence due to their dangerous behavior that simply could have been avoided if someone had paid attention to the first nip or kick or buck which was how the horse was trying to tell someone, ANYONE, they were in pain!! Too many horses have suffered under the obsolete paradigm of dominance which seems unconscionable knowing what we know about herd language and the sentient nature of horses (they think, they feel, they have a sense of loyalty, family and friendship).

Why would anyone use violence, force, pain and devices to control a horse? The answer is FEAR – fear is the driving force of our dominant culture. Fear is a natural instinct that I respect, but I DO NOT respect the use of violence to teach and that’s exactly what is going on in horsemanship from the earliest ages of our children in 4-H to Olympic level trainers and riders – this is a sad yet telling view of the horse industry. And let’s not forget the racing industry oi………….

The good news is the abuses of the horse industry are under scrutiny by the public now more than ever. More horse owners and potential horse owners are seeking authentic relationships with horses which is contrary to the dominance programming of the past. People are embracing the desire to be gentler with their horses and to understand the behavior before arbitrarily applying discipline. A NEW Gentler path is being forged so I have decided that sharing my gentle horse training videos freely is far more important in these times when people are seeking authentic relationships and a gentler side of horse training.

The young gelding was a new purchase by a lovely kind-hearted woman that wanted a nice trail horse for her family. He was a big chestnut Quarter horse about five years old who had extensive training in reining and cutting. The new owner wanted a natural horsemanship foundation established before she took him home, so he arrived at my barn for a three month program to include trail training.

When a new horse arrives at my barn I always perform a thorough examination for injuries and watch closely for any mysterious swellings or soreness that may arise in the first twenty-four hours as a result of injury sustained during transportation. While examining the chestnut boy I noticed a small hole under his chin in the middle of his left jawbone that appeared to be a draining abscess. I pointed out the abscess to the new owner and she advised that her veterinarian had examined it the week prior assuring her that it was simply a puncture wound and it would heal. I advised the owner that I would care for the wound, but expressed my concern that this did not seem to me to be a possible bone infection since there was no mass or soft squishy tissue to pinch or squeeze.

I began the gelding’s training over the next couple days assessing what he knew and how he understood training cues which he responded with ease and appeared to be well trained, but his overall attitude and countenance was listless and quick to agitate with pinny ears and a swishy tail. I also noted he was very mouthy which did not improve with correction. He was constantly nibbling and nipping at me when grooming, working with his feet, bonding and flexing – basically whenever I was in close proximity. The boy was also moody and not making a bonding connection with an attitude of “performing only because I have to” instead of willingly participating with me. I was a bit stumped searching for techniques that would invoke his willingness for a relationship, but he maintained a ho-hum duplicitous attitude. He certainly was not an unkind horse in any way, just something wasn’t right and he was seemingly unhappy…..

A couple weeks went by as I continued to work with him, clean his wound and apply antibiotics daily, but neither his attitude nor wound was improving. And in fact the hole in his jaw was starting to widen and more pus matter draining regardless of my efforts. I felt around the wound and knew this wasn’t a simple puncture wound or abscess it had to be a bone infection. Now, I needed to convince the gelding’s owner to allow my vet to examine him even though she had her vet out weeks before. I prepared by calling my vet first and had the opportunity to chat with him personally. He agreed that it sounded like an infection in the bone, but felt it was a bad tooth, not a puncture wound and suggested an x-ray. I hadn’t thought about a bad tooth. It took my breath away to imagine how long this horse must have been in pain to now have an infection coming out through the jaw bone under the chin. My heart sank with the thought.

With this information I made the phone call to the owner. She was more then happy to have my vet exam the young gelding and was deeply concerned about her horse being in pain. My vet visited that afternoon and confirmed that a lower molar tooth was completely infected beyond repair and the tooth next to it badly infected, but possibly salvageable. Based on the level of deterioration and the infection in the jaw bone my vet said that the tooth had probably been infected for at least two years……

I was flooded with emotions of pity, guilt and compassion for this horse. It all made sense now. His behavior, his aloofness, his agitation, his mouthiness; he was just trying to tell me “I hurt”. I wrapped my arms around the horse’s neck and tears welled up as I asked his forgiveness for not recognizing his pain sooner. What a tolerant and forgiving boy. This horse chose to tolerate people and our continued requests for performance while he stuffed his pain and put up with us. The previous owner sold him because “he just wouldn’t perform” to optimum level as a reining and cutting horse. No wonder! How well would you perform if you had a toothache for two years?

Within a few days the tooth was pulled and a routine float was performed. Since the gelding’s mouth was so sore I soaked his hay for each feeding, which is four times a day at my facility. Since horses have small stomachs and large intestines they need to eat continuously in order to maintain their peristalsis action to avoid colic. Many horses only get fed twice a day which can result in fasting from 8-10 hours a day. This is very hard on their bodies due to their physical design; therefore we have found feeding four times a day keeps the peristalsis action stimulated which has resulted in zero colic episodes at our barn in over three years (pasturing horses is always the best circumstance however). Also whenever a horse has dental care that involves sedation, I feed a very wet bran mash once a day for the first three days after the procedure. Sedation slows the gut and if your horse is on the verge of colic due to an impaction/constipation which otherwise would possibly have worked itself out naturally, the sedation and soreness in the mouth can be enough to push the horse in to colic. A horse is not going to eat as much or as frequent right after a dental procedure due to the soreness in his mouth so again I highly recommend a very wet bran mash at least once a day for the first three days.

A couple weeks later the chiropractor was out for his usual 30 day visit and performed several adjustments on the boy. His Poll, Atlas and TMJ needing adjusting along with T1, shoulders, hips, sacrum, whorlbone and tail. Basically from head to tail he was adjusted. What was simply amazing was right after the doctor adjusted the young boy’s TMJ the horse completely relaxed blowing out his nose releasing a huge emotional sigh that prompted a client standing by to exclaim “did you see that?” He was finally out of pain for the first time at least two years. His eyes sparkled and he seemed to glow – it was a beautiful sight.

I believe it is critical to a horse’s recovery after dental care to have chiropractic performed before resuming training and/or riding. Dental problems and procedures affect the WHOLE horse, like dominos, as one falls they all fall. I know when I have a headache it tends to move into my neck down my shoulders and then into my back; the same is true for our horses. My horse chiropractor is a licensed equine veterinarian and I mention this because I believe the anatomy of a horse can not be learned in a weekend course, so I caution you to be selective when choosing a horse chiropractor. Be aware of the laws in your state as well – Oregon requires animal chiropractors to be licensed veterinarians and that’s a law I can appreciate.

After four weeks the young gelding was able to eat dry hay and was healing beautifully. The most remarkable change however was is emotional wellbeing. There was a sparkle in his eye and lightness in his feet. He no longer was nibbling or biting since “I got the message” that he was hurting and addressed the source of his behavior. It was a privilege to take care of him during his recovery which bonded us deeply. He was a completely different horse with a loving desire to please and to be with me, and wow was he a wonderful ride. We were on the trails in no time running freely through the woods and swimming in the creek. As I always say Problems are not always training issues.

Saturday Night Live’s Bobby Moynihan on set of Brother Nature (Missy provided the horses for the movie)

In lieu of devices, violence, and food as trickery, Passive Empowerment is a true empowerment process. Assertiveness is only needed when danger presents itself, otherwise empowerment is gained by understanding the language of the horse, observation of the horse and communication the horse can understand. It is not about communicating in a human way or training the horse to understand at the human level, its about communication with the horse using their language and psyche of prey and herd communication to keep you and the horse safer and for the horse to understand its role in the human herd.

Passive Empowerment truly empowers through knowledge and understanding. No need for dominance – no place for fear since fear is replaced with curiosity and compassion knowing the horse is out of its natural environment attempting to survive in captivity. We owe it to the equine realm to listen, to respond with compassion and recognize we are the interloper, the kidnapper, the change maker, so we need to be the benevolent master of what otherwise is our slave.

For a successful relationship we must allow give and take just as in our human relationships we have. We owe that to the horses. Benevolence in Mastership is paramount which generates Passive Empowerment, and with Passive Empowerment comes wisdom which horses are tuned to.

Do you notice how a horse is much calmer and responsive to a wise horse person – and did you notice the wise horse person has a quiet demeanor meeting the horse on a gentle equal level wisdom is gained when exercising Passive Empowerment.

Passive Empowerment is:

Compassion

Empathy

Observation

of communication

behavior

Communication using herd language

Being empowered using wise methods of observation and understanding prey psyche and herd language. Anything other than gentle horse training (Passive Empowerment) can be considered an attack. Think about it – when you inflict pain or force you are attacking your horse. When it comes to desensitizing you nurture your horse through without force. You develop curiosity which replaces fear. In order to be with the human herd horses need to develop a less reactive response to what otherwise would set them into flight. This is necessary to be safer within the human herd and it is done by being the compassionate herd leader your horse is genetically wired to require at all times in your herd of two.

For the human soul to thrive to drive Karma in a blessing direction for our joy and well-being that directly effects this planet and its peoples……………….

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